Decker’s Dissection…

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From the Comic Reader to the Comics Journal, SUPERMANIA continues its retrospective on vintage reviews of Superman: The Movie through the eyes of comic-book purists.

And Dwight R. Decker’s essay (Part one of which presented above) is arguably a definitive review, or at least the most exhaustive.  Found beneath a splendid cover by Joe Staton (showing Superman through various incarnations through the ages) Decker’s words are nicely arranged alongside stills from he movie and random art from the likes of Fred Hembeck.

Surmising early on that the movie is “An erratic collection of disparate scenes that individually range from the utterly splendid to despicably camp” its enjoyable to share the early anticipation/dread of the prospect of a rehash of the Batman TV legacy (or indeed the Broadway show ‘Its a bird, its a plane, Its Superman..!’).

Indeed, one finds themselves empathising with many of the points Decker raises about the Krypton scenes in regard to production design.  For all its frigid glory as represented onscreen its easy to forget what made the demise of Krypton so tragic was its flourishing and youthful culture as depicted in comics by the art of Wayne Boring et,al.

To be concluded in Part 2 coming soon..!

 

Ordway’s Super-Debut…

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The genesis of an artistic partnership that would thrive for decades to come, the collage above (top) represents the first published Superman piece by one Jerry Ordway.

Found on the impressive wrap-around cover of pulpy but highbrow magazine ‘The Comic Reader’ for its November 1979 issue, Ordway’s dynamic but realistic style was a perfect compliment to the characters as represented in Superman: The Movie.

Of arguably more interest, however, were the contents of the magazine and in particular, the views of comic-book purists on this fresh take of what was, at the time, a 40 year-old beloved flagship character.

Indeed, the excellent review of the movie (cropped and reformatted here for ease of continuity, click for larger) is referred to by Mike Tiefenbacher as ‘refreshing & wonderful’, highlighting the major differences between the movie and the comic book but interestingly not to its detriment.  In fact, many of the observations here (modelwork on the dam/turning back the world) are still hotly debated today and some are even prophetic (describing it as a benchmark/suggesting a Superboy TV series/longer TV edits) all of which make for great reading.

Tiefenbacher’s follow-up piece is an insightful, personal critique of the character’s evolution which incorporates everything from ‘The Great Superman Book’ by Michael L. Fleisher to Elliot S! Maggin’s Superman: ‘Last Son Of Krypton’.  The latter notable for its mistaken identity as the novelisation of the movie.

If this has whetted your appetite for vintage reviews by comic journalists you may want to check back soon for scans from from the ‘Comics Journal’ – a monster review spread over two posts..!

 

The Prequels…

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In continuation of the posts dedicated to recommended comics reading for fans of the classic Superman Movies comes this unique offering from – of all people – the creative team behind the 2006 movie Superman Returns.

Tasked with bringing the Man Of Steel back to the forefront of popular culture with their upcoming movie, screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (along with director Bryan Singer) would bridge the cinematic gap through DC Comics and the four-part miniseries Superman Returns: The Prequels.

For anybody under the Illusion Returns as released was intended as a standalone reboot/ remake/homage to Superman: The Movie, like it or not, it may come as a surprise to find that (in the context of these issues anyhow) that Singer’s picture is a bona-fide sequel set firmly in the continuity of the classic franchise (or at least the first two) and on that basis alone is being acknowledged here at SUPERMANIA.

For an exhaustive (and I do mean thorough) well-written overview of the collection go here – for those more intrigued by how The Prequels exploit and capitalise on aspects of the Donner pictures – stick with me.

Pandering directly to the nostalgic eye with Part 1 – Krypton To Earth – we actually open on a panel featuring the unique Action Comics cover from the first movie next to a splash page of the red Krypton sun (having never been referred to onscreen as Rao).  Though the trial of the Phantom Zone Villains has been omitted, what follows is a wordier but otherwise unchanged adaptation of STM’s first act (concluding in Kal-El’s arrival on Earth).  Some expansion on the notion that the Red Sun is in fact the main contributor to Krypton’s demise along with the abilities of the crystal technology are key to the writing here which is fairly seamlessly incorporated into Brando’s dialogue. And for once on the comic page, all the hallmarks of John Barry’s design, Geoffrey Unsworth’s lighting and Yvonne Blake’s costumes are unashamedly embraced here in the art (by Ariel Olivetti) which makes up for the tentative likenesses of the actors.

With the exposition neatly setting the tone of what was to follow, its a pity the subsequent chapters fail on most every level to maintain Part 1’s quality.  Instead the following chapters are a series of dull vignettes of how supporting characters have spent their time during Superman’s five year absence.  The first, Ma Kent (already in violation of the classic series continuity having passed sometime between Superman II and III) is a bittersweet, mostly internal monologue about her loneliness (with some flashbacks to scenes from STM) concluding with Kal-El’s (somehow undetected) crash landing as seen in the film.  The trend continues with Part 3 as Lex Luthor waxes similarly lyrical during his incarceration and eventual release also with lingering STM flashbacks except this time the art (by Rick Leonardi) is so cartoonishly hideous you’d be pressed to recognise them.

Its left to Lois Lane in Part 4 to conclude proceedings with her descent into bitterness having taken Superman’s absence personally to the point where, quite out of character, she writes a Pulitzer Prize winning piece on ‘Why the world doesn’t need Superman’ after falling for another man and having a child.  Though again interspersed with memorable scenes from STM (including the helicopter rescue and the flight around Metropolis) the flashbacks seem to serve only as a catalyst for misery.

While The Prequels on paper was a great idea and a worthy endeavor,  In execution the run is hurt badly by inconsistency and as a collection fails to engage past the opening chapter. Though Singer, Harris and Dougherty take (large) cover credit, in fact none of the actual comic writing was done by them (Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray for Parts 1&3, Marc Andreyko for 2&4) and the art veers from sublime to ridiculous.  Though its a thrill to see scenes from Superman: The Movie finally, legitimately in print, their treatment here as a springboard to the events in Superman Returns, like the movie itself, leaves much to be desired...

From the top – Cover and pages from The Prequels softcover collection released by DC Comics in 2006…

 

Before We Go Any Further…

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What could be more exciting for a Superman Movie fan than seeing the name of its most beloved Director on a comic-book cover?  Inviting him to co-write an epic story arc across 5 issues maybe?  DC Comics certainly thought so and the result, while reassuringly cinematic, is still a solid addition to the Superman literary archive.

Further to SUPERMANIA’s historic posts of recommended comic reading for fans of the Superman Movies, 2008’s Last Son, although chock-full of affectionate nods to the original films reads more like a sequel to Superman Returns or closer still, an alternate universe take on last years Man Of Steel movie.  In fact, Steel writer David Goyer should owe Geoff Johns a hefty portion of his story credit – for as evidenced here, he did it both first, and better.

The Last Son of the title is actually the spawn of General Zod & Ursa, who have sent the little tyke to Earth to pave the way for their subsequent escape from the Phantom Zone along with all its other unsavory captives in a bid for World domination.  Or indeed reformation – into New Krypton (sound familiar yet?).  Naturally, Superman is present to have first contact with the child and their scenes of bonding having discovered they are both from Krypton represent Johns at his best, inviting the reader to care about the characters and consequently, their fate.

Having rescued the child from a top-secret military installation (once government paranoia about alien invasion leads to his abduction) and from the hands of Lex Luthor (who unleashes Bizarro in another violent kidnap attempt) Superman, as Clark Kent, seeks to adopt the boy along with wife Lois who renames him (in what must be Donner’s touch) Christopher.  For a brief moment the future looks bright until the inevitable arrival of his real parents and touching scenes between Lois, Clark & Chris give way to citywide carnage.

While the battle between the warring Kryptonians is rendered beautifully by Adam Kubert (whose cityscapes have amazing realism), the conclusion (which sees Superman himself relegated to the Phantom Zone) is a marked drop in momentum as he enlists the help of inmate Mon-El to assist his escape.  In a grand finale (originally published in Action Comics Annual #11) with the unlikely assistance of Lex Luthor, the world is purged of the villains by once again by opening the Phantom Zone, (where Superman defeats Zod by punching him clean into it as opposed to snapping his neck in desperation, bottom pic) but Chris is also pulled into the singularity in an effort to close it, leaving our hero devastated.

Heralded by Variety as “An entertaining read that’s hard to put down”, the collected volume released later that year featured yet another Superman Movie connection, giving silver screen Jimmy Olsen Marc McClure the opportunity to share his unwavering enthusiasm for the series (second pic down, click for larger version) and its director and star with a definitive opening line.

Overall, Last Son is a grand, affectionate, and mature read tailored specifically for fans of the character represented at his purest.  Its not perfect (the dialogue about Chris being abused is clunky and uncomfortable and while Kubert nails the environments, his characters are scratchy and in some instances, plain ugly) and one longs for this to be the first of the Johns/Frank team that would mesh so well in future.  Donner’s presence is also certainly felt throughout with heart and even in dialogue between Jor-El and Supes (some almost verbatim from S:TM, third pic) ultimately leading to further collaborations between Donner, DC & Johns-

But that’s best left for a future post…

 

The Second STM Contest..?

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In celebration of Superman’s 75th birthday, SUPERMANIA looks back at a special moment in the character’s history where the comic-book and movie worlds would briefly collide, culminating in one of the most publicised campaigns in its history.

With the unprecedented response to the Great Superman Movie Contest and resulting boost in sales for DC Comics, a follow-up competition was somewhat of an inevitability.  But what could possibly top the prize of the first contest (where lucky young winners Tim Hussey and Ed Finneran were picked from thousands of entries to actually appear in Superman: The Movie) and what challenge would have to be met to better the submission of coupons obtained over months of various DC titles?

Fans may have had to answer a series of complex DC trivia questions to enter this time (25 in fact, all buried within the pages of different issues) but the prize was arguably even more coveted – Christopher Reeve’s screen-worn walking cape from Superman: The Movie.

Once again from the multitude of submissions (and many more lower tier prizes won) only 21 entrants managed to answer the questions 100% correctly.  DC President Sol Harrison thought such dedication should be rewarded by the final draw being made by somebody prestigious from the new Movie – and who better than Superman himself?

DC employee Bob Rozakis recounts – “So, the morning he came in, he was escorted down the hall to Sol’s office and with all pomp and circumstance, Chris reached into the box and pulled out the winner. He was quite surprised that the box was not overflowing with cards, but when we explained about the 25 questions, he smiled and said, “I never would have gotten them all and I am Superman!” 

Editor Jack Harris elaborates further –  “Sol Harrison had charged me with the task of finding ‘someone from the movie’ to draw our winners because of my contacts with the Warner Publicity Department during my editing of “Superman: the Movie Magazine.” I called my contact upstairs and told him what we were looking for. Proving the theory that no one in New York City is more that two phone calls away from anyone else, I called the agent. I asked him if any of his clients would be willing to help us. He said, “Oh, there’s someone here in my office right now who can probably help you.” In another second I was talking to Christopher Reeve himself! Chris told me he was appearing on a morning news show the following day in a studio right across the street from the DC offices at Rockefeller Center and that he would be happy to stop by…”